GEORGE TOWN: The black, slimy residue spotted along the waters of the north coast of Penang island early yesterday is believed to be an oil spill.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng described the situation as “a crisis” as the oil spill now spans 17 square kilometres.
Lim said the state government was not informed of the situation until 24 hours after the incident. Lim has asked the Federal government for assistance.
He said Penang does not have the resources to tackle the matter. “I hope that the matter can be solved as soon as possible as marine lives are at risk,” he said.
Penang local government exco chairman Chow Kon Yeow, meanwhile, said the residue originated from an oil spill from a boat in Perai.
Yesterday, netizens had shared images of the residue spotted within Penang waters along 5km of the coastline from Weld Quay to Gurney Drive.
Penang Port Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Sasedharan Vasudevan said the cleanup operation, headed by the Marine Department, is being carried out.
He said Department of Environment (DOE) , Penang Port and several private oil companies were helping out in the operations. “We are using our assets, such as tugboats and personnel, in the cleanup operation,” he said.
He said Marine Department formulated a cleanup plan and has assigned each company a specific area to control, with a special chemical which would disperse the oil.
“I believe about 90 per cent of the oil has been scooped up,” he said. Sasedharan said the oil residue was first spotted by a Penang Port personnel on Friday.
“We then immediately alerted the authorities,” he added. However, he said the authorities have yet to identify the source of the spill.
-New Straits Times
